Day 9: Bailas Conmigo?

Buenos dias! We began the day with a delicious homemade meal made by our Mamatica, featuring the national dish of Costa Rica, gallo pinto accompanied with an amazing fresca made of papaya, mango, and bananas. Soon after, we made our way to Universidad Latina (Heredia), where we began our lesson focusing on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, and where the different countries of the world fell within this measurement. During this lecture, we were able to better understand where each of us fell within these dimensions, and I am so glad that I could learn more about my classmates through these engaging conversations about how we perceived those concepts.

After class, some of my peers and I shared a meal together at the nearby bistro (that we call Perros Amores), which was a gorgeous mesh of several different food trucks and stations with plenty of new food options for different cultures. We also found a claw-machine that some of us took a gander at, but none of us had the luck to win (this time at least).

Afterwards, the group headed towards the Central Market of Heredia and explored the area for ourselves this time. We took our time chatting with some of the local store owners around the area, browsing through the Central Market, and some of us found some fun trinkets to take back to the States with us here. After navigating ourselves around the city center, we eventually found ourselves at the Tostador Coffee Roasters store, where we ordered some delicious desserts to share with one another, and where I had their house special milkshake and homemade churros!

Later that night though, my homestay brothers and I headed out to Tipico Latino, a local dance club that we always passed by on our way to school. After finding out that they had an open dance floor at the time, we finally had the chance to explore the place that night with our fellow Horizons classmates.

To be honest, it was a bit nerve-wracking for me at first since I had never been to la discoteca before but I still wanted to immerse myself in the music and dance that the country prides itself in. Fortunately, I had my friends there (who are much less clumsy on their feet) to show me some of their favorite moves on the dance floor. I took this opportunity to dance with and learn from the local dancers there as well actually, who had the patience and finesse to help me make some fun memories.

With the practice that I’ve had so far, I am a bit more confident in my skills and much more excited for our upcoming dance lesson now. I look forward to the newest experiences to come within these next weeks so that I can continue taking part in the rich culture of Costa Rica!

- Nay Naing